The relationship between the Asiatic Nymphaea lotus var. pubescens, often treated as N. pubescens, and the var. lotus of Africa is in need of further study. Cultivated forms of var. pubescens with red flowers, originating from India, are known from Guangdong Province and perhaps elsewhere in S China. Although they are reportedly sterile, they have sometimes been segregated as N. rubra Roxburgh ex Andrews.